Trying to get the courage to process...

[simplyscrambled]

This has been going on for weeks! Of course it's helping that out of the 18 that I hatched, 12 are males! So that's 11 in the 'bachelor' pad that are beginning to crow at all hours...

I tried to look for quail in the grocery store to see what it tasted like, but all I could find was Cornish game hen. darnitall.

I suppose at 6 weeks old, I have 4-6 weeks before they're the size to process anyway~ I've read and reread the 2 threads with pics on how to do it, it's just doing that first 'snip' I'm having trouble with!!

I love hatching them, raising them, having them, the idea of raising my own meat from well cared for birds... sigh. I'm hopeless!!

 

[JenEric Farms]

I'm in the same boat as you! I have 23 coturnix quail and my plan was that we would eat the extra roos, but I don't know if I can...

We'll see in about three weeks I suppose.


OH! Good Luck!

 

[simplyscrambled]

Wish you were closer and not waaaay across the country! We could toast their (short) lives with wine/beer, and go for it with each other to get through the task!!

 

[Emilys3guppies]

Good luck to you! Plan it out carefully and write down the steps you plan to take. Have that in sight when you're processing. Make sure you have everything you need handy, so that you're reaching for nothing in the moment. You'll have the courage you need when the moment comes. You've done a good job raising them and now they're fulfilling their tasty destiny!

I do have a question...how long can you have your boys in a bachelor pad? Don't they bother each other?

 

[simplyscrambled]

Thanks Emily, I hope I find the courage too, when the time comes!

I understand from reading here that if there's no female in sight, the males will be fine. I'm keeping an eye on it though, because the females (I have 4, I gave my friend 2) with the one male are only 15 ft away, but I covered that cage with shade cloth. I'll find out!

I know the lone male tried earlier to mount one of the females unsuccessfully earlier today that I saw! I'm waiting for eggs...I suppose I can bribe myself that if I manage to process the roos, means I can incubate more quail! lol.

 

[monarc23]

a bachelor pad of roos can stay together indeffinatly. teh problem occurs normally when you introduce a new roo to the batch...they all say "fresh meat!" and go in for the "kill"< --- pun normally not intended.

My bachelor pad could not see the other breeding pens but they could hear them and crowed a lot because of it but there was no fighting only boy on boy mating

 

[calgal98]

My bachelor pad is next door to a breeding pen, but other than crowing and a bit of scalp pulling, its been pretty sedate. I'm waiting for the boys to mature a bit, but they seem to have slowed down. I have about 40=50 hens laying and tons of eggs. Trying to keep up with them all is pretty interesting. Some of my bachelors will soon be processed. I can't quite bring myself to process the hens. THey sing so prettily and I just love their personalities. Never thought they would have that much character. And I love the bucholic sounds that come from my barn. The crow, burble and song of all the birds is so much fun and symphony. Can't pay for that much song.

 

[simplyscrambled]

I'm also rethinking what roo to keep! I kept the golden, because I think the golden is such a pretty color. But he is smaller than the browns, and if I think they're so pretty, will I find the next generation golden roos too pretty to process??

I sorta hope they keep crowing soo much, I'll get completely sleep deprived and grab them in a fit of irritation and process them on the spot!

 

[saddina]

What I did when processing my roos, was put eggs in the bator for the next generation. That way I needed the roo's space as a brooder. I find praticality works best for me, I need room, so he had to go. Now Mr Saddi belting out Sweeny Todd while butchering was pretty darn funny too.

 

[simplyscrambled]

That's an idea! Youtube of Mr. Saddini to help us timid quail processors!

Sheesh, those boys are getting louder and louder, and more of them are crowing at the same time, and then sometimes while I'm watching, they go into a frenzy and start mounting each other...it's not pretty!

So if they DO get too noisy for me and the neighbors, is it possible to get a meal out of a 6-7 week old quail??

Not only the noise, but the young cockeral Birchin Maran roo took a run at me today! what? lol! Off with his head!!